Monday, September 15, 2014

Day 87, Learning 87: Getting the camera to focus without hunting

I love my SB800 flashes. I have three of them, all purchased used, and
I rue the day one of them finally conks out on me because frankly, I don’t
think Nikon has improved upon them with the 900 series.Both of these top end flashes do something
more than illuminate your subject.You
can use them to assist your auto-focus, even when you don’t want to use flash
photography.

Even the best lenses will start to hunt back and forth for focus when light levels get too low. Cameras focus based on contrast (which is why it will hunt when pointed at a brightly lit, but blank surface).

SB 800s and 900s have an “AF Only” (located in the AF Menu
on the strobe itself) that turns off the flash.It works best when your focus mode is AF-S, or “Auto Focus Single Servo”
mode.

So the next time you want to engage in some available,
low-light photography but need the auto-focus to work without hunting, give it
a try.

Me Me Me

Ian Robin Walker runs Hurricane Images, a San Francisco / Bay Area photography studio that specializing in Products, Portraits, Entertainment, and Wedding photography. My work is driven by a strong, personal connection with my clients in order to provide truly unique images.

What about me?

Born in North Hampton, Massachusetts/ was told I should be an actor/ spent 25 years working as a theatre director/ created light designs for more than three dozen productions/ started writing plays/ started winning awards/ realized I had always been a photographer when I discovered photographs of me at the age of 11 with a camera in my hands/ began photographing publicity photos for performing artists and theater companies/ started having my photos published major magazines/ met you here, today.

I create high impact imagery in a calm and professional atmosphere that places clients at ease. I am interested in photographing what is unique about you. The majority of my clients are individuals; my business clients include Second Wind Productions, Albany Records, Impact Assessment Inc., the California Department of Public Health, International Musician and Engineering World Magazine, Underground Runway, JB Enterprises, and Triple Shot Productions.